Rotary snow and ice breaker



y 1954 c. GANGEMI ROTARY SNOW AND ICE BREAKER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledFeb. 6, 1952 I I/I IOIO IOIOI \IOI INVENTOR. 07 7228726 fidrz erzz ATT DR N EYS Patented July 20, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to snow and ice removing equipment, and inparticular a snow and ice breaker for use in combination with snowmelting machinery wherein snow and ice picked up by a loading machine isdeposited in a hopper positioned above crushing rolls by which the snowand ice are crushed and deposited into an oven from which the productsare drained off as water.

This invention includes an improvement in the snow and ice crushingelements of the snow melting machine of my copending application withSerial No. 57,084, now Patent No. 2,592,267, the crushing roller beingreplaced with a pair of rollers having caulks and spikes therein andthese rolls in combination with a reel and stationary comb or saw toothbar crush the snow and ice to comparatively fine particles which readilymelt when subjected to heat.

The purpose of this invention is to improve the crushing elements of themachine of the co-pending application whereby the quantity of materialhandled by the melting machine is increased.

With the machine of the co-pending application and also in conventionalmachines of this type the operation of the machine is handicappedbecause blocks of ice melt comparatively slow and it has been founddifiicult to crush the ice suificiently to permit continuous operationof the machine with the machine fed by a conventional loader. With thisthought in mind this invention contemplates an improved method ofcrushing ice and snow whereby ice is crushed to such an extent that themachine will take and melt ice and snow as fast as it is fed to themachine.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to improve crushing elementsof an ice and snow melting machine whereby the ice and snow are crushedto a convenient size for immediate melting.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ice and snow crushingunit that is adapted to be used in combination with a snow meltingmachine which is adapted to crush ice and snow as fast as they are fedto the machine by a conventional loader.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved crushingunit for ice and snow melting machines in which the unit is of a simpleand economical construction.

Crushing units for handling products picked up from a street, highway,or the like are sub jected to abuse because rocks, bolts and otherforeign matter may be deposited into the crushing elements with the snowand ice and for this reason it is essential that picks, caulks and othercrushing elements be readily replaceable.

With these and other objects and advantages in View the inventionembodies a pair of crushing rolls journaled in a housing below a feedhopper wherein ice and snow deposited into the hopper are carrieddownwardly between the crushing rolls and with picks and cogs on thesurfaces of the rolls the ice and snow are crushed to comparativelysmall sizes. The crushing unit also includes a reel positioned above therolls and a comb or saw tooth bar adjustably mounted below the rolls andpositioned to ooact with the cogs and picks for further crushing theice.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the intermediate part of asnow melting machine illustrating the crushing unit positioned on a evenof the machine.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan through the crushing unit showing the reeland crushing rollers and also the mounting elements therefor, saidsection being taken on line 2- -2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a detail showing a side elevational View of one side of thecrusher roll housing illustrating the driving chains for rotating thecrushing rolls and reel.

Figure 4 is a detail on an enlarged scale showing a section similar tothat shown in l illustrating the mounting of the cogs and picks and alsoshowing the relative positions of the cogs and picks in relation to thesaw tooth bar positioned below the crushing rolls.

Figure 5 is a View showing the outer surface of one of the crushingrolls with the said surface of the roll developed or flattened for thepurpose of illustration.

Figure 6 is a detail showing a plan view of the saw tooth bar positionedbelow the crushing roll.

Figure '7 is a detail showing a side elevation of the saw tooth bar withone end of the bar broken away so that the parts thereof are shown insection.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denotecorresponding parts the improved ice and snow crushing unit of thisinvention includes crushing rolls it and ii positioned in a housing,having end walls 52 and i3, side walls M and i5 and a cover it, a reeli! also positioned in the housing, a saw tooth bar 58 positioned belowthe crushing rolls and cogs l9 and picks 2t removably mounted in thecrushing rolls and positioned to coact with the teeth oi the bar it, forcrushing snow and ice passing between the surfaces of the rolls and thebar.

The crushing rolls iii and H are mounted on shafts 2| and 22 which arejournaled, at one end. in bearings 23 and 2 2, respectively on a bar 25,and at the other end in bearings 26 and 21 on a bar 28.

The reel ll, which is formed of two spirally positioned strips ofmaterial is mounted on a shaft Zii, one end of which is journaled in abearing to extended upwardly from the bar 25 and the other end beingjournalerl in a bearing 3| extended upwardly from the bar 28. The shafts2| and 22 are provided with sprockets 32 and 33, respectively over whicha chain St is trained and this chain extends over an idler sprocket 35to suitable driving means for the unit. The shaft 22 is also providedwith a sprocket 35 that drives the reel ll through a sprocket 3? with achain 33 that is trained over the sprockets 3E and 3?.

The toothed bar is is formed as illustrated in Figs. 4, and 7 with teethon one and teeth t; on the other and the car, which is J-shaped "n crosssection is supported with end plates 4! and 2 2 v 'th bolts which extendthrough slots and the plate ll and slots it and 4: in the plate Thecolts secure the plates to intermediate plates 48 and it which extenddownwardly from the bars 25 and it, respectively.

As illustrated in Fig. 4 the caulks it, which are provir with threadedshanks are threaded into openings 5? in the walls of the crushing rolls.The cogs are provided with flat sided by which they are gripped with awrench or the like to facilitate insertion thereof in the openings andalso the removal thereof from the openings. The caulks inay, herefore,be readily removed and replaced.

The picks are provided with tapering shanks 53 which extend through thesimilarly shaped openings Ed in the walls of the crushing rolls as shownin Fig. i, the openings 5 extend from recesses in the outer surfaces or"the walls or rolls to openings 55 on ich extend through the walls of therolls. With the picks mounted in this ma; .ier they are driven into thetapering openings in which they are frictionall held for use and when itis desired to remove the picks a drift is driven into the opening into wion the end of the pick extends whereby the pick. is dislodged from theopening 5 3.

The picks and caulks may, therefore, be readily removed and replaced andupon rotation of the crnshe rolls the pi .i. and caulks pass between thetee it, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The bar mounted with slotted openingson thereof in reare to the cursher rolls opper 53 having an inclinedwall the hopper positioned as shown in Fig. l, the reel extends upwardlyinto the lower end thereof.

The reel i? not only provides means for distri'outine snow and ice overthe surfaces of the posed strips slicing through the masses of the snowand The well i?- of the cover witi e 61 for heating the lower part ofthe oven and a drain connection 63. The intermediate part of the oven isprovided with a vertically disposed baille G9 and the baiiie ispositioned below an opening l0 through which the crushed snow and iceare supplied to the oven.

With the parts arranged in this manner snow and ice supplied with aconventional loader are deposited in the hopper ill above the crushingrolls and with the rolls rotating the snow and ice are fed to the areabetween the rolls, and over the bar it whereby the products are crushedand only comparatively small particles thereof drop into the oven belowthe crusher unit.

By this means comparatively large quantities of snow and ice may be fedto the melting machine, and the snow and ice may be fed continuouslywith the machine reducing the product to water.

It will be understood that modification may be made in the design andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

What claimed is:

1. Ice crushing units for ice and snow inel machines comprising a pairQ1 crusher rolls, a reel including spaced spiral strips above the rollspositioned a ertical plane extended between the rolls, a toothed barhaving a J-shaped upper surface with notches in the edges also mountedin a vertical plane extended between the rolls and positioned below therolls, and projections on the surfaces of the rolls positioned to regiter with the notches in the edges of the toothed car to coast with thebar for crushing ice snow passing downwardly between the crusher rolls.

2. In combination with an ice crushing unit as described in claim 1, ahousing surrounding the rolls, reel and tooth bar, and means journalingthe rolls and reel in the housing.

3, ice crushing unit as described in claim 1 wherein the crusher rollsreel are journaled in a housing and the housing is adapted to bepositioned over an opening in an oven for melting' snow, ice the like.

4. An ice crushing unit as described in claim 1 wherein the projectionson ti surface of the rolls include caulks threaded nito openings in thesurfaces of the rolls.

5. An ice crushing unit as described in claim 1 wherein the projectionson surfaces of the rolls include piclrs having taper g shanks positionedin taper q openings in surfaces of the rolls, the awe of sa d picksleing tangent to circles extended thro -'n the intermediate parts of thewalls or the rolls.

6. Ian ice crushing unit as described in clairn. 1 wherein projectionson the surfaces include cogs threaded into openings I .n plan, crushingrolls positioned in sai housing, parallel shafts journaled in thehousing and upon which the rolls are mounted, a reel having spirallypositioned elements positioned above the rolls, a toothed i -shaped incross section adjustably mounted in the housing and positioned below therolls, said toothed bar and reel being positioned in a vertical planeextended between the crusher rolls and a feed hopper in the upper end ofthe housing and positioned to feed ice and snow and the like to therolls.

8. An ice crushing unit as described in claim 7, wherein the crusherrolls are provided with cogs threaded into the walls thereof from theouter surfaces and picks having tapering shanks in similarly shapedopenings extended between recesses and openings in the walls of therolls and wherein the spaces between the teeth of the toothed bar arepositioned to receive the picks and cogs whereby the elements coact tocrush ice and snow passing between the crusher rolls.

9. An ice crushing unit as described in claim 7 wherein the tooth bar isvertically adjustable to regulate the size of the crushed materialtraveling from the rolls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberNumber Name Date Richardson Apr. 12, 1881 Perry Dec. 27, 1904 DalgetyMay 3, 1910 Rapp June 20, 1916 Nickle May 14, 1929 Fegley et a1. Dec.29, 1936 Bateman et a1 Sept. 29, 1942 Fowler Oct. 14, 1947 MatthiesenMar. 11, 1952 Matthews Sept. 9, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date FranceJune 9, 1913

